French

French is spoken by over 275 million people across the world. On our French language courses you’ll discover how the language is used around the world, from Europe, to Africa, North America and French Polynesia. You’ll experience the many cultures and accents used in the countries where French is spoken and develop knowledge, understanding and a life-long love of this fascinating language . And you’ll be kept engaged by a range of course materials that challenge and inspire you, including podcasts, screencasts and workshops covering vibrant cultural aspects of the French-speaking world such as cinema.

Where will your French language studies take you?

If you complete an OU degree course in French, we can guide you along pathways to our MA in Translation Studies, MA in Applied Linguistics, and to doctoral studies. And, of course, adding French language to your cv can open up all kinds of employment opportunities: employers greatly value language and communication skills in today’s global business world; having French language skills and an understanding of French cultures on your CV can open up all kinds of employment opportunities.

Access the resources that work best for you

Our French language students cross all boundaries of age, background and experience, and so we provide a range of resources that you can choose to fit with your interests and your lifestyle. These include:

• Audio and video resources to motivate you and help you learn in a realistic environment
• Live tutorials to help you engage and connect with tutors, fellow students and the language itself
• Online forums and chat rooms that invite you to interact with fellow students in a friendly, supportive and safe academic community
• Learning materials and learning support accessible to all, regardless of your background, disabilities or environment
• Please note that from October 2023, level 2 languages modules will no longer offer an integrated week-long residential school in France; instead, the online version of the school will remain as a fully integrated and compulsory component of these modules. Students will have a choice of attending an intensive online school (which will take up one full study week), or a more extended online school (which will run over a longer period).

We are the largest French department in the UK, with 50 members of staff from diverse backgrounds providing a range of unique resources such as Projet Grammaire, where you can practise your skills in a playful, creative, yet structured way, every week.

Short courses to whet your appetite

As well as undergraduate modules in French, we also have a range of short courses to bring you up to speed on the basics of French and introduce you to some cultural aspects of countries where French is spoken. Short courses are 16 weeks long and are offered at Beginner and Intermediate levels. You can also try a taster version for free on OpenLearn.

With the Open University, you can choose to study French alongside Spanish or German, or you can combine French with another subject, such as Business, Law or English, to enhance the range of your skills. You can also take French modules as part of a multidisciplinary qualification, such as a humanities degree, or an Open Degree.